The Want List: Holiday Gifts to Wrap 2020 Right
Make up for an exceptionally naughty year with extra-nice presents like these, inspired by—and sourced from—the regions we serve.
Miniature rooms by Anavrin
Like the adult coloring books of the dollhouse world, these miniature dioramas are the latest craft project to keep your cabin fever (which still beats a real one) at bay. Anavrin—”nirvana” spelled backwards—offers a variety of kits to build a veritable village of intricately-detailed desktop spaces, from a pint-sized coffee house to a lofty Bushwick-looking bachelor pad.
$79 and up at byanavrin.com
Medium Dark candles
When it comes to scented candles, it feels like we’ve picked up the scent of all the usual suspects by now. But the inaugural line from this new Bed Stuy, Brooklyn-based candle studio is a breath of fresh, perfumed air, from musky Merle Haggard-inspired “Long Black Limousine” to the earthy “Smudge Sister.” No matter which you choose, these aromatic, soy-coconut-wax incendiaries are guaranteed to add mystique to any space.
$39 at mediumdark.co
Alex Proba arrangement pillows
Why pop just one color? These furry throws are the latest textile creations from multidisciplinary artist Alex Proba, whose distinct, abstract style has found its way everywhere from street murals to medical offices, the terrazzo countertops of a Clinton Hill cafe (we miss you already, Relationships), and even a pool on Roosevelt Island.
$175 at Studio Proba
Indoor fruit trees from Via Citrus
Fruit-bearing Florida citrus trees that flourish indoors might sound even less believable than alligators in New York City’s sewer system, but Via Citrus purveys just that. The company sources Meyer Lemon, Calamondin, and Key Lime samplings from Sunshine State growers that are perfect for urban windows and planter boxes alike — and what better to spice up quarantine baking than homegrown winter citrus?
$65 at viacitrus.com
Swimsuit wash by Bikinis Over Everything
Laundering delicates always seems like a risky proposition. Developed by a former Palm Beach yacht stewardess, this all-natural cleaning formula is here to help your high-priced swimwear—and anything else you’d cringe at the thought of throwing in the machine—last long and look their best. And guys, don’t let the name fool you: It’ll work just as well on board shorts, not to mention masks.
$10.95 and up at bikinisovereverything.com
Variety Coffee variety pack
Since freshly-roasted coffee beans are about the closest thing to coal you’d actually want in your stocking, consider gifting the Variety Variety Pack, which sounds like a typo but is a sure bet to get any caffiend hooked on some of Brooklyn’s best. The three-box set changes weekly, based on the latest offerings — overachievers can take it a step further by committing to a subscription plan.
$27 at varietynyc.com
Hamptons-made leather lap apron from Stanley & Sons
From quarantine baking to backyard pizza-slinging, these workhorse bibs, fashioned from natural 100% cotton canvas with riveted leather straps, are up to par. They’re stitched together on Long Island’s East End by a husband-and-wife team, who also own the popular S&S Corner Shop down the road from the Springs home and studio of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner.
$143 at S&S Corner Shop
Solera-aged bourbon from Hillrock Estate Distillery
Liquid art should have a fitting frame—all the more prerequisite for a gifted bottle. Hillrock’s thick-glass vessels, designed to stack upright in your whiskey library like hardbounds on a bookshelf, make a statement as rich as their contents. This signature bourbon, a mainstay for the revered Hudson Valley farm distillery, is uniquely aged through a proprietary method in 20-year-old Oloroso sherry casks, yielding a complex palate-pleaser that’s a league above its peers.
$100 at shophillrock.com
Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wally Koval
With a foreword by the man himself, this tome of unintentional art direction by the wizard behind its namesake Instagram account, which showcases true-life scenes that unintentionally align with the filmmaker’s signature aesthetic, might be the year’s hottest hardcover release—an October pop-up on Bleecker Street hyped things all the more. It’s selling out quick, so run—not hop the Darjeeling Limited—to score your copy.
$35 at Rizzoli Bookstore
Rose Apothecary by Beekman 1802
Up a river of tears since Schitt’s Creek aired its final episodes? The upstate duo from The Fabulous Beekman Boys kicked off an offictional licensed collab with David and Patrick, bringing a full line of co-branded goat’s milk lotions, soaps, and more with their fictitious shop. As Moira Rose might say, what they did was impulsive, capricious, and melodramatic, but it was also so right.
$8 and up at Beekman 1802
Radiate portable campfire
There’s nothing to warm the body and soul like a campfire, but sometimes the mess—and the stubborn smokiness that lingers in your laundry for—just isn’t worth it. This canned, clean-burning solution, fueled by recycled briquettes fashioned from recycled paper and soy wax, is a low-stress alternative that’s safe to use anywhere from the forest to a Brooklyn roof terrace.
